Habitat Improve your hunting land!

Whether you're planting your first food plot, working on forest stand improvement, or preparing for a prescribed burn, the NDA has the information you need to help you be successful. We rely on the latest research and experts in their field to bring you the most reliable, up-to-date information on managing your land for the benefit of white-tailed deer and other wildlife.

Habitat

A Guide to the Most Important Weather Factors in Prescribed Fire

Jan 7, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Prescribed fire is a fantastic deer habitat management tool, and nothing is more important when using it than ensuring a safe, effective and contained burn. By planning and waiting to burn under the right conditions,…

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Habitat

How to Fix Overgrazed Food Plots, Now and Later

Oct 23, 2024 Mark Turner

I’ve visited many properties managed for deer across the eastern United States, and the number one most consistent problem I see is overabundant deer populations. This problem becomes apparent quickly when you step into an…

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How to Use Growing-Season Fire in Hardwoods for Better Deer Habitat

Apr 24, 2024 Craig Harper and Mark Turner

More land managers are using fire to manage habitat for deer and other wildlife today than at any time in the past century. And for good reason. There is no other tool that can improve…

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How to Feather Field Edges for Deer Attraction and Habitat Improvement

Mar 27, 2024 Cheyne Matzenbacher

This article is about feathering edges to improve deer habitat, not feathering hair. I remember the feathered hairstyle fad back in the 80s, but I don’t think feathered edges are a fad because this is…

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Book Review – Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region

Mar 26, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

To learn to use prescribed fire for deer habitat management, there’s no substitute for participation in a well-run burn. Reading about fire, taking an indoor training course, and even watching videos won’t fully prepare you…

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Fallow Food Plots Offer Hidden Benefits for Deer. Don’t Replant Until You Read This.

Mar 6, 2024 Mark Turner

Most deer hunters have relatively limited food plot acreage and wish to maximize deer forage production on every acre. For many, it would stand to reason that planting both warm- and cool-season forages on every…

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Prescribed Fire Near Power Lines Could Zap Your Wallet

Feb 16, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

When you’re writing a prescribed fire plan for your hunting land and considering all the sensitive nearby areas that should be protected from smoke and flame, don’t forget power lines. Mixing fire with electrical lines…

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6 Tips for Designing Small Deer Hunting Food Plots

Jan 31, 2024 Mark Turner

I’ll bet you realized a passion for land management when you planted a small food plot for the first time. Whether you are just starting to learn about food plots or have been planting for…

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5 Ways to Produce Great Cover for Fawns

Jan 24, 2024 Kyle Hedges

Hunters and habitat managers stumble across fawns in a variety of locations each year, but sometimes folks are fooled by those observations. You may have found a fawn lying in closed-canopy forest or a mowed…

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Avoid Prescribed Fire Injuries With These Tips from a Physician and Woodland Firefighter

Jan 24, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

In the checklist of things you do to prepare for conducting prescribed fire on your hunting land, I had never included anything related to first aid, physical fitness or personal health and safety – until…

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